Contents
- Report List
- Manage Searches
- Search Reports
- Report View Key Elements
- Report Views
- Percentage Figures Displayed on the Report
- Actions
- What is Effort?
- Open/Re-issued/Re-opened Status
- Certified/AdjustReqd Status
- Exception Status
- Manual Adjustment
Navigating ERS
Report List
The Report List page displays all effort reports available to the user. It allows PIs and delegates to review effort reports by status, project, and reporting period. Please refer to the ERS Certifier Guide (PDF) for a step-by-step guide on navigating ERS.
Reporting Periods
Use the 'Reporting Periods' dropdown menu to filter for all or a specific reporting period.
Show Status
Use the 'Show Status' dropdown menu to filter for different report statuses.
Display Saved Search
Use the 'Display Saved Search' dropdown menu to navigate between 'My Certifications' and 'My Projects' lists to access all reports under the PI’s queue.
Manage Searches
ERS allows users to customize and save search views for easier access.
ESR Start-up Options
Users can set a default view when entering ERS, choosing from a saved search, the Edit Search page, the Manage Saved Searches page, or the search results from their last session.
Subscribe
Use this function to subscribe a PI to their MyCertifications or MyProjects list. You can search for a PI by name or UCPath employee ID (EID). If a PI has two results - one with an old PPS EID and one with the new UCPath EID - please be sure to subscribe using the UCPath EID.
Create New Search
This brings the user to the Search Reports page.
Search Reports
ERS offers flexible search options to filter reports by various parameters. When searching for reports under specific funds, it is recommended to search by the 'People' or the 'Awards' filter for most efficient list of results. Please refer to the Setting up Searches in ERS (PDF) for how to customize searches in ERS.
People
Use this option to filter directly for an employee’s effort report by name or employee ID number.
Depts/Orgs
Choose 'Fund Department' and filter employee effort reports that have effort charged to a specific fund department.
Awards
Use this option to filter for a specific project by Fund-Org-Flex, for e.g., 17824-23796-NDAXN. Users can also search by the fund number alone.
Sponsors/Funding Agencies
Use this option to filter reports with effort charged to a specific sponsor.
Chartstrings
Use this option to filter reports with specific chartstrings.
Search Collection
After entering the search parameters, click on the desired result from 'Filtered Results List' to add it to the 'Search Collection' list on the right. Then click 'View' to view the effort reports. Use 'Save As' at the bottom right of the 'Search Collection' list to save a frequently used search.
Report View Key Elements
Report Views
ERS includes three different report views available in the top left of the effort report (right under the report’s Employee name and Employee ID). Refer to each of the different views of the report as needed to review, adjust, and certify the report accurately:
Edit Report
Allows the PI or delegated user to make changes or adjustments to the effort percentages.
View/History
Provides a read-only view of the report and its certification history, including who certified it and when.
Comment Log
Displays a log of system-generated messages and user comments related to the report's status and issues.
Percentage Figures Displayed on the Report
There are various columns of percentages displayed in the effort report. Please refer to the definitions below to confirm or adjust the efforts to the appropriate levels for certification:
Payroll %
The percentage of effort charged to a specific project based on actual payroll records.
Adjusted Payroll %
The percentage of effort the PI is certifying to for a project, which may differ from the Payroll % and require a payroll cost transfer.
Adjusted Cost Share %
The percentage reflects the effort spent on the project that was paid for by other UCB fund sources.
Original Total %
The initial total percentage of effort reflected in the report before any adjustments.
Total Effort %
The sum of Adjusted Payroll % and Adjusted Cost Share %. Grand Total effort must always equal 100% for the Effort Report to be certified.
Remember that total effort for a person in a reporting period is 100% regardless of the number of hours worked or the percentage of appointment.
Actions
Actionable buttons available within the effort report to assist with the review and certification process:
Multiple Certification
Check the box for 'Report requires multiple certifications' under 'Report Options' when more than one PI must certify the effort report.
Please refer to the ERS Multiple PI Certification (PDF) for instructions on how to activate and deactivate the multiple certification function on an Effort Report.
View Payroll Details
Click on the 'View Payroll Details' button to access the underlying payroll transactions for the report.
Please refer to the ERS Payroll Details – Definitions and Guide (PDF) for visuals and further definitions of the different sections of the Effort Report Payroll Details view.
Certify Report
The 'Certify' button is used by the PI to formally certify the effort report.
Reopen Effort Report
The 'Reopen Effort Report' button is used by the PI to reopen a certified report for further adjustments or corrections.
Report Version
Use the 'Report Version' dropdown to view all previous versions of the effort report. Different versions help explain changes in its status, such as when it was initially opened, reopened for corrections, or re-issued.
Report Status Definitions
Adjustment Required
The report is awaiting a payroll adjustment. This can include reports that initially had effort but were later zeroed out by the user. The report will change to 'Not Required' status once the payroll adjustment is processed by the ERS system.
Certified
The report has been certified.
Certified/AdjustReqd
The report has been certified, but it is awaiting a payroll adjustment. The report will change to 'Certified' status once the payroll adjustment is processed by the ERS system.
Exception
The report has exceptions, for example, it is out of balance or has a negative effort or payroll percentage. Please note that ERS will not allow a user to certify an effort report in 'Exception' status.
Not Required
The report does not require certification.
Open
The report is open and awaiting certification by the PI. This is the most likely status of a report after it is generated.
Open-Reissued
The report was previously certified but has been reissued, possibly due to additional payroll activities. The new payroll percentages do not match the previously certified amounts.
Open-Reopened
The report was previously certified but has been reopened, possibly for user-initiated adjustments.
Partially Certified
The report has multiple federal projects by different PIs and requires multiple certifications. One or more projects are still pending certification.
Reissued-Partially Certified
The report was previously certified and has been reissued, possibly due to additional payroll activities. One or more of the line items are still certified.
Certifying Reports
What is Effort?
Effort is the portion of time spent on a particular activity, expressed as a percentage of the individual's total activity for the institution. Total effort must equal 100%, no matter how many hours were worked.
Effort Reports must be certified by a person who has first-hand knowledge of the effort performed and the benefiting federally sponsored project(s). Examples of those with first-hand knowledge are the Principal Investigator, the person who performed the work (for example, Self-Certifiers), or the person directly supervising the work (for example, Other Designated Certifiers). PIs generally certify for staff, post-docs, and students.
Current UC practice is to certify Effort Reports with a preciseness tolerance of plus or minus 5 percentage points per activity. For example, if an Effort Report lists effort at 30% on a project, you can certify it without any changes if actual effort was between 25% and 35% for that project during the reporting period.
Open/Re-issued/Re-opened Status
The PI should review the payroll percentage and the underlying payroll details for each effort report.
Correct Payroll Percentage
If the payroll percentage is correct: The PI can certify the report as is. The report status will change to 'Certified.'
Incorrect Payroll Percentage
If the payroll percentage is incorrect: The PI needs to identify the underlying payroll transaction(s) causing the issue and work with their department's payroll processing unit to make the necessary payroll cost transfer in UCPath. Once processed and updated in ERS, the PI can then certify the corrected report, changing its status to 'Certified.'
Certified/AdjustReqd Status
The report has been certified, but it is awaiting a payroll adjustment.
The PI should work with their department's payroll processing unit to make the payroll cost transfers in UCPath. Once processed and updated in ERS, the report will change to 'Certified' status.
If a payroll adjustment is no longer required, the PI should update the percentage in the 'Adjusted Payroll %' to match the 'Payroll %' column before certifying the report.
If the new payroll percentages do not match the previously certified amounts, the report will be updated to 'Open-Reissued' status. The PI will need to review the report, make any adjustments as appropriate, before certifying the effort report again.
Exception Status
The report contains exceptions, indicating it failed the system's automatic validation checks. These exceptions must be resolved before the report can be certified.
Common reasons a report might have an 'Exception' status include:
Negative Effort or Payroll Percentage
This occurs when more pay was transferred out of a project than was originally charged, resulting in negative effort or payroll percentage. This usually requires a payroll adjustment to correct.
Report Not Totaling 100%
An effort report must always total 100% of an individual's effort. This exception typically occurs if certain earnings are not recognized or properly allocated within the ERS.
Unrecognized Earnings
Payroll transactions might contain FAUs that are not properly defined or recognized by ERS. Please contact CGA to resolve this issue.
To determine the exact reason the report was flagged with exceptions, please first refer to the 'Comment Log' section. The report's comments will often provide specific error messages that will help you pinpoint and review the underlying payroll transactions causing the issue.
Manual Adjustment
The PI can update the percentage in the 'Adjusted Payroll %' column to reflect the effort expected of the employee and certify the effort report with these adjustments. When the PI certifies a report with adjustment(s), the status will update to 'Certified/AdjustReqd.' The PI will still need to notify their payroll processor to make the payroll cost transfers, as appropriate. Once processed and updated in ERS, the report will change to 'Certified' status.